Hdsoftail1065's RFA Box

[hdsoftail1065]

Hello! My wife is a fan of Rock Flower Anenomes and wanted to start a little nano with the RFA's being the main focus.

She really liked the looks and style if the Fluval 9 gallon. She said this was a perfect size and it shouldn't take me long to get it going and would be to hard for me to maintain. Lol ;Facepalm

We were a little leary of the integrated lights being enough to bring out the florescents in the animals. Naturally the Fish store that sold the tank really talked up the tank and told her she would be extremely happy with the lights. Needless to say after we set it up we decided the lights would be fine for a FW system but they wouldn't work for our goals. We since purchased a Kessil A80 and gooseneck mount and I'm in the process of fabricating a lid. The center chamber in this unit comes with a sponge filter with 2 cut outs, 1 stocked with carbon and the other ceramic media. I'm still tossing around what to do in the filter chamber in the near future.

No frills Fluval Flex 9 gallon
Setup on 9/2/2019
Caribsea Black Hawaiian (she wants the RFA colors to pop)
Kessil A80
Sicce - Voyager Nano 200 stream pump
Aqueon Heater

Inhabitants as of 9/13
4 Ultra RFA's
Exquisite firefish - Nemateleotris exquisita
Clown Goby - I'm not sure of the species. I asked her what kind it was and her response was "cute". ;Hilarious
She bought, acclimated and released it into the tank. I have only seen a glimpse. I will update when I can make a positive ID.

I will update more as things progress!

Thanks for looking.

 

[SPR1968]

That’s looks very cool Jay and keep the pictures coming!

Are you sure the maintenance won’t become to much? Lol

 

[hdsoftail1065]

That’s looks very cool Jay and keep the pictures coming!

Are you sure the maintenance won’t become to much? Lol

Lol, well, time will tell. I did notice I forgot to add my ATO to the equipment list. Dixie cup ATO!

 

[SPR1968]

Lol, well, time will tell. I did notice I forgot to add my ATO to the equipment list. Dixie cup ATO!

How very sweet! Lol

 

[Ruben's Reef]

Nice little tank. Following progress>>

 

[hdsoftail1065]

The light is installed and the cover is finished. I'm not real happy with the final product but she is and I guess in the end that's all that matters!

Pics aren't great, my camera filters are downstairs and I'm lazy.

I'll shoot a few of her RFA's tomorrow. She has sold a few RBTA's and is looking for some Ultras. If you hear of any multi pack sales please let me know.

 

[hdsoftail1065]

@Ron Reefman @Katrina71

 

[Katrina71]

I'll keep my eye out at the expo. I might need to snag her one.

 

[Scurvy]

Very cool! The nems should glow under that Kessil. Should be a fun tank.

 

[bsn_rn_cen]

Looking good. Multi pack deals huh. Didnt know there were such things but sounds right up my alley.

 

[Crabby48]

RFA tank. Very cool

 

[Katrina71]

Would you mind getting close ups so I can see what she might like if I find one?

 

[Scurvy]

AquaSD often has stunner RFA’s.

 

[hdsoftail1065]

Looking good. Multi pack deals huh. Didnt know there were such things but sounds right up my alley.

She has seen them on Facebook somebody out of Florida. She said she will get you the info.

 

[hdsoftail1065]

AquaSD often has stunner RFA’s.

Thanks! Shes looking now.

 

[hdsoftail1065]

Would you mind getting close ups so I can see what she might like if I find one?

I will snap some first thing, she wants to take them out of the end caps so she can see them.

 

[bsn_rn_cen]

She has seen them on Facebook somebody out of Florida. She said she will get you the info.

Hey thanks. I'm not on the facepage.

 

[hdsoftail1065]

Hey thanks. I'm not on the facepage.

I'm not either but she can give you the contact info.

 

[Ron Reefman]

Jay, if she wants them to be more visible in the end caps I have 2 suggestions. First add a little sand into the end cap. Mine don't seem to mind sand inside the cap. In the wild they set their foot in a hole in the rock that is covered with sand, sometimes even several inches deep! The second idea is to take the end cap and make it shorter by cutting it down with a saw. I've done this with a few on my smaller RFA that have gone into end caps.

Take a look at VIP Reef out of Miami. They were one of the first to collect lots of RFA in the Keys. I was hoping to see Frank (the owner) at MACNA but then didn't go because of Hurricane Dorian.

The other option is to hold off for a bit. Once I get my new tank assembled and tested, I intend to tear down my current tank and move everything into a 40g breeder while I set up the new top on the stand and get the new tank set up. I intend to do 3 things during the tear down. 1) Move a lot of the small RFA off the rocks and into end caps (or make a few small rocks with RFA attached. 2) Sort out the best fluorescing corals and sell off those that don't fluoresce as well (or that don't otherwise catch my fancy). 3) Hunt down and remove every aiptasia as I have a few that are new and they are propagating!

I might be able to send on some of my young RFA your way. Or alternatively, I will be going to VIP Reef to shop for some 'special' RFA that look different from what I have now. I could hand pick some for you and have Frank ship them. With 2 of us buying (and I will probably buy more than a handful) we may get some discount. When I worked for Ocean Revive (VIP Reef was our 2nd biggest distributor) he treated me very well. But I haven't seen him in a couple of years as he is 5 hour plus round trip for me.

 

[hdsoftail1065]

Jay, if she wants them to be more visible in the end caps I have 2 suggestions. First add a little sand into the end cap. Mine don't seem to mind sand inside the cap. In the wild they set their foot in a hole in the rock that is covered with sand, sometimes even several inches deep! The second idea is to take the end cap and make it shorter by cutting it down with a saw. I've done this with a few on my smaller RFA that have gone into end caps.

Take a look at VIP Reef out of Miami. They were one of the first to collect lots of RFA in the Keys. I was hoping to see Frank (the owner) at MACNA but then didn't go because of Hurricane Dorian.

The other option is to hold off for a bit. Once I get my new tank assembled and tested, I intend to tear down my current tank and move everything into a 40g breeder while I set up the new top on the stand and get the new tank set up. I intend to do 3 things during the tear down. 1) Move a lot of the small RFA off the rocks and into end caps (or make a few small rocks with RFA attached. 2) Sort out the best fluorescing corals and sell off those that don't fluoresce as well (or that don't otherwise catch my fancy). 3) Hunt down and remove every aiptasia as I have a few that are new and they are propagating!

I might be able to send on some of my young RFA your way. Or alternatively, I will be going to VIP Reef to shop for some 'special' RFA that look different from what I have now. I could hand pick some for you and have Frank ship them. With 2 of us buying (and I will probably buy more than a handful) we may get some discount. When I worked for Ocean Revive (VIP Reef was our 2nd biggest distributor) he treated me very well. But I haven't seen him in a couple of years as he is 5 hour plus round trip for me.

Your a good man my friend. I will cut some caps down and give that a whirl.